When a dusty grease fitting is wiped off, a few grains of dust often remain on the tip of the fitting. When the grease gun is placed over the fitting and new grease is forced into the bearing cavity, this foreign material is forced into the bearing cavity along with the new grease. Under certain conditions, and over a period of time, this abrasive material can cause a bearing to fail.
Substantial time is consumed in industrial situations through searching for the location of grease fittings which are hidden by dust and dirt, and further time is consumed in trying to clean these grease fittings before the grease gun is placed thereon.
The grease covers of the prior art are difficult to grasp and hold and are relatively small, thus making them difficult to locate, particularly under dusty conditions. Many of the prior art grease covers are easily dislodged from the grease fittings.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide a grease fitting cover and locator which is easily visible and identifiable without considerable searching, even under dusty and dirty conditions.
A further object of this invention is to provide a grease fitting cover and locator whereby grease fittings with different lubrication requirements can be coded through the colors or indicia marks on the device itself.
A further object of this invention is to provide a grease fitting cover and locator which can be easily manually removed from the grease fitting but which will not inadvertently become removed from the grease fitting through the operation of the machine upon which the grease fitting is mounted.
A further object of the invention is to provide a grease fitting cover and locator which can be easily and firmly held by the grease gun operator even though his hands may be greasy.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.